New Americans in Long Beach A Snapshot of the Demographic and Economic Contributions of Immigrants in the Long Beach Area 1 POPULATION GROWTH 7+7R 6.6% Immigrant share of the population, 016 Between 011 and 016, the population in the area grew by.%. The immigrant population increased by 14. %. Total population 465,769 481,17.% Immigrant population 11,15 18,149 14.% Without an increase in the foreign-born population, the area s overall population would have decreased by... 61 people 18,149 Number of immigrants living in Long Beach in 016: Top five countries of origin for immigrants living in the area: 1 4 5 Mexico... 47.5% Philippines.... 10.6% Cambodia... 7.8% El Salvador.... 5.% Vietnam.....8% 48+11+8+5++5 Other countries of origin 6.1% Mexico 47.5%
SPENDING POWER & TAX CONTRIBUTIONS Given their income, immigrants contributed significantly to state and local taxes, including property, sales, and excise taxes levied by state or municipal governments. Amount earned by immigrant households in 016: $.4B $8.4M went to federal taxes. $80.7M went to state and local taxes. 9+71O 9% Leaving them with $.B in spending power. This means that foreign-born households held 9% of all spending power in Long Beach, more than their share of the area s overall population. 4 Immigrants in Long Beach also support federal social programs. In 016, they contributed $1.8M to Social Security and $84.M to Medicare. 9.8% of immigrants in the area received Medicare or Medicaid, compared with 7.9% of U.S.-born residents in 016. Immigrants 9.8% U.S.-born 7.9% $1.8M $84.M About 45.9% of immigrants had private healthcare coverage, while 40.1% had public healthcare coverage. Medicare Private 45.9% Social Security Public 40.1%
LABOR FORCE GROWTH Although the foreign-born made up 6.6% of the area s overall population, they represented.6% of its working-age* population,.1% of its employed labor force, and.8% of its STEM** workers in 016. * Working-age refers to people ages 16-64 years old. ** Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Immigrants play a critical role in several key industries in the area. This includes: 49+51O 49% General Services 5 Accommodation and Recreation Transportation and Warehouse Professional Services 6 Share of workers in the manufacturing industry who were foreign-born in 016 6.8% 4.6% 4.5% 47.4% Because of the role immigrants play in the workforce helping companies keep jobs on U.S. soil, we estimate that, by 016, immigrants living in the area had helped create or preserve 5,895 local manufacturing jobs that would have otherwise vanished or moved elsewhere. 7 SPOTLIGHT ON Pasin Chanou Chairman, Cambodia Town and Retired Systems Developer, The Boeing Company n 1978, after receiving a computer science degree I from American University in Washington, D.C., Pasin Chanou knew that he could not return to his native Cambodia. Three years earlier, the Khmer Rouge had brutally gained power and threatened his family s gemstone business. His parents feared for their lives and fled to Thailand. There was no hope of going back, and my father told me I needed to make a life in America, he says. I made up my mind to do whatever it would take to succeed here. By that time, a steady flow of Cambodian refugees had made their home in Long Beach. So Chanou and his Cambodian fiancée, whom he d met in college, moved to southern California. Chanou was hired as a computer analyst at McDonnell-Douglas, the aerospace manufacturer that later merged with Boeing. He spent years at the company, where he worked on military cargo aircrafts. I was so proud to play a role in contributing to such important projects, like launching commercial and military communications satellites into space, says Chanou, who earned an MBA from Pepperdine University in 199. His two sons followed in his footsteps and became engineers. After retiring in 011, Chanou shifted his focus to community work. He became chairman of the board for Cambodia Town, a 1.-mile business and cultural district that features ethnic restaurants and retailers. In 015, he worked with the City of Long Beach to create a business improvement district that funds a security guard and sidewalk maintenance and helps underwrite a cultural festival that now attracts two thousand visitors annually. Chanou s mission for Cambodia Town is to celebrate immigrants economic contributions to Long Beach. Instead of going to college, many Cambodian refugees became entrepreneurs, he says, pointing to the restaurants, jewelry stores, beauty salons, grocery stores and tailoring businesses they run. They re also famous for their donut shops, he says. Cambodians in Long Beach faced a rough transition, Chanou says, because of local skepticism toward the influx of refugees. But they have become essential to the area s identity and native Californians have embraced them. We are a success story of integration. We are a proud part of Long Beach, he says.
LABOR FORCE GROWTH CONT. 5+4++++8 Immigrants tend to concentrate in these occupations in the area: 1 Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners. 5.%* Truck Drivers....7% Janitors and Building Cleaners.....0% 4 Cooks.....8% Other 5 Production Workers....5% occupations * Share of immigrants in these occupations 8.8% ENTREPRENEURSHIP In Long Beach, immigrants were 18.5% more likely to be entrepreneurs than their U.S.-born counterparts. While 9.4% of the U.S.-born population were self-employed, 11.1% of the foreign-born residents worked for their own businesses. 6+64O 18.5% 5.9% Despite making up 6.6% of the overall population, immigrants represented 5.9% of the entrepreneurs in Long Beach in 016. 6+64O Share of entrepreneurs who were foreign-born in 016 U.S.-born Immigrants 8,409 immigrant entrepreneurs generated 9.4% 11.1% $16.1M * Share of in business income for the area. In 01, African American-owned businesses in the area generated... $16.7M in sales and paid 509 employees. Asian-owned businesses generated... $.4B 8,99 in sales and paid employees. Hispanic-owned businesses generated... $60.7M 4,015 in sales and paid employees. 8 4
EDUCATION Share of the Long Beach population over age 5 with a bachelor s degree or higher in 016: Bachelor s degree or higher 8.% of U.S.-born 16.8% of Immigrants Share of the Long Beach population over age 5 with an advanced degree in 016: Advanced degree 16.0% of U.S.-born 5.6% of Immigrants,969 students who were enrolled in colleges and universities in the area during the fall of 015 were temporary residents. 9 International students supported... 611 local jobs and spent... Immigrants make up.8% the students under age 18 who attended public schools in the area in 016. $96.M in the 016-017 academic year. 10 +97P.8% HOUSING WEALTH In 016, 0.0% of immigrant households in Long Beach owned their own homes, compared to 9.4% of the U.S-born. 67.9% of immigrant households were renters. 41+57+R Immigrant households Lived in houses: 41.% Lived in apartments: 57.1% The total property value of immigrant households was $7.5B. Their total annual rent was $44.5M. 5
BANKING 11 Share of households in the Los Angeles metro area, including the cities of Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Ana, and Irvine, that had bank accounts in 015 1... Holds Bank Account 7++70 94.1% of U.S.-born households 86.1% of Immigrant households Of these immigrant households with bank accounts... Both Checking & Savings 70.% 1 Only Checking.. 6.8% Only Savings...9% Both....70.% The top three ways for immigrant households in the Los Angeles metro area to pay bills: Electronic Payment From A Bank Personal Check Cash 18.% 6.8%.9% Income of immigrant households in the Los Angeles metro area remains relatively stable. In 015, 71.5% of immigrant households reported their income remained roughly the same each month..4% reported some small variation in their monthly income. 6.% of immigrant households in the Los Angeles metro area have access to credit cards in 015, compared with 7.% of U.S.-born households. 7+8P +77P 71.5%.4% 14.7% of immigrant households applied for a bank loan of line of credit in 014, compared with 19.4% of U.S.-born households in the metro area. NATURALIZATION 48.6% Naturalized Share of immigrants in Long Beach who were naturalized citizens in 016. This constitutes 6, immigrants. 7.4% Potentially Eligible Share among the 65,97 non-citizens in Long Beach who were potentially eligible for naturalization. This constitutes 4,68 immigrants. 6
SPOTLIGHT ON For Josefina Cruz-Molina, who was 14 when her family fled increasing violence in El Salvador, moving to a new country was especially difficult. The daughter of an engineer, she had a comfortable life in San Salvador and a close-knit group of friends. But when a classmate of her younger brother was kidnapped at his school, the family realized they couldn t stay. Leaving everything I knew to come here and start again with a new language was really hard, but I know my parents didn t have a choice, she says. REFUGEES In 016, 11,17 Josefina 9+91P immigrants, or 8.8% of the Cruz-Molina foreign-born 8.8% Likely population in refugees Immigration Case Manager, Long Beach, Centro CHA were refugees. likely 1 About 9.0% of these refugees were naturalized citizens. 9+8P 9.0% Naturalized citizens Cruz-Molina s uncle, a U.S. citizen, petitioned the government to give her family legal residency. They settled in Long Beach, where her father became a loan officer with Opportunity Fund, a microfinance organization, and her mother became a certified nursing assistant. Cruz-Molina focused on mastering English and, after high school, worked her way from Long Beach City College to the University of California at Riverside, where she majored in psychology. After graduating, she interned with the Community Hispanic Association, a non-profit social service agency that assists local low-income Hispanic youth and families. There Cruz-Molina found her calling: to help other immigrants become vibrant members of the Long Beach community. I ve met so many hard-working people who need to know how to navigate the immigration system, she says. They just want the chance to contribute to society. Last year, Cruz-Molina became a fulltime immigration case manager, guiding clients through residency and citizenship applications. She s especially passionate about helping young Dreamers renew their work permits. We didn t choose our path as children, she says. But we have a responsibility to make a bright future. I want to help people realize their full potential. Cruz-Molina and her brothers, who are both engineering students, are now U.S. citizens a testament to their perseverance. Some people believed it would be too hard to adjust to a new country, but I proved them wrong, she says. I was very lucky, and I m grateful for the opportunities I ve been given. Median income of refugees in Long Beach, 016: $49,400 1+87P 8+9P 1.1% 7.7% Share of refugees aged 5 and above with at least a bachelor s degree, 016 Share of refugees aged 5 and above with an advanced degree, 016 7
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS Number of undocumented immigrants in Long Beach in 016: 0,775 Share of immigrants who were undocumented: 4.0% Top countries of origin for the undocumented immigrants in the area: 1 4 5 Mexico.... 66.7% Philippines....6.8% India....5.9% El Salvador....% Honduras....5% 67+7+6+++14 Mexico 66.7% Amount earned by undocumented immigrant households in 016: $481.7M $61.7M went to federal taxes. 14 $0.M went to state and local taxes. 15 Leaving them with $99.7M in spending power. 16 4+16+11+11+10+8 Other industries 8.5% Manufacturing 4.% Undocumented immigrants tended to concentrate in these industries in 016: 1 4 5 Manufacturing.... 4.%* Recreation and Accommodation.. 15.9% General Services 17... 10.7% Transportation & Warehouses... 10.6% Professional Services 18... 10.0% * Share of undocumented immigrants in these occupations 8
For more area, district, and state-level data, visit MapTheImpact.org and explore our interactive map. 1 Unless otherwise specified, data comes from 1-year samples of the American Community Survey from 011 and 016 and figures refer to the Cities of Long Beach and Signal Hill. U.S. Congressional Budget Office. 016. The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 01. Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. 015. Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All Fifty States. 4 Estimates are based on federal tax rates from the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, and state and local tax rates from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. 5 General services include personal services (e.g. laundry services, barber shops, and repair and maintenance), religious organizations, social services, and labor unions. 6 Professional services: Most of these industries include professions that require a degree or a license, such as legal services, accounting, scientific research, consulting services, etc. 7 Vigdor, Jacob. 01. Immigration and the Revival of American Cities: From Preserving Manufacturing Jobs to Strengthening the Housing Market. New American Economy. 8 01 Survey of Business Owners, U.S. Census Bureau 9 Data on total student enrollment in the area is derived from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System maintained by the National Center for Education Statistics. Temporary residents refer to people who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents. 10 Economic data is derived from the International Student Economic Value Tool maintained by NAFSA, the association of international educators. 11 015 Current Population Survey, U.S. Census Bureau 1 We define the Los Angeles metro area using the Office of Management and Budget definition of the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim Metropolitan Statistical Area. 1 New American Economy. 017. From Struggle to Resilience: The Economic Impact of Refugees in America, 14 U.S. Congressional Budget Office. 016. The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 01. 15 Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. 015. Who Pays? A Distributional Analysis of the Tax Systems in All Fifty States. 16 Estimates are based on federal tax rates from the U.S. Congressional Budget Office, and state and local tax rates from the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. 17 General services include personal services (e.g. laundry services, barber shops, and repair and maintenance), religious organizations, social services, and labor unions. 18 Professional services: Most of these industries include professions that require a degree or a license, such as legal services, accounting, scientific research, consulting services, etc. 9